Re: Fair Gas Prices

[Scott_Dredge@BayNetworks.COM (Scott Dredge)]

Only in America can you have low gas prices and still have complaints of
'not low enough'.  When I first started driving, I remember the long gas
lines and gas prices of $1.40 a gallon.  And that's $1.40 in 1977 prices!
Adjusted for a modest 3% annual inflation (note I'm being kind here since
in reality we had double digit inflation during the Carter years), we were
paying the equivalent of $2.62 in today's 1999 money for one gallon of
non-premium gas.

My feeling about gas prices is don't tempt fate.  Like taxes, they're only
going to adjust upward if you mess with them.

-SD

At 03:51 PM 1/4/99 -0800, Tom Lamar wrote:
>Visionaries,
>
>Yes we do pay a bit more per gallon than other northwest cities, but even
>here on the Palouse a gallon of gasoline is still cheaper than a gallon of
>milk.  The complaints about our gas prices being higher than those in the
>$.99 range seems to me like a discussion of the mere details of this issue.
>We really must consider how cheap gas is EVERYWHERE in this country
>compared to other parts of this world.
>
>When we consider the environmental impacts of pumping, refining and burning
>all of that gasoline, I think we should feel either lucky that we are being
>charged so little, or just plain ashamed of ourselves for paying so little.
>The cheapness of our gas also means more demand for roads, less demand for
>public transit, and increased likelyhood of sprawl and strip developments
>along major roadways.  I think in the long run, the cheaper the gas, the
>more our society will cost us.  I think we should be careful about wishing
>for something we may not really want.
>
>We all drive, but we can all do our part to reduce our personal consumption
>of gasoline as well.  Walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, and taking
>the bus are options available (to varying degrees) to all of us here.
>
>Tom
>
>Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director
>
>===================================================================
>Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute
>P O Box 8596; 112 West 4th St; Suite #1
>Moscow ID 83843-1096
>Phone (208)882-1444; Fax (208)882-8029
>url:  http://www.moscow.com/pcei
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>Please Note our individual staff email addresses below:
>
>Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director: lamar@pcei.org
>Kathleen Lester, Office Manager/Environmental Education: lester@pcei.org
>Laurie Gardes, Financial Manager:  gardes@turbonet.com
>Anita Grover, Watersheds: grover@pcei.org
>Colette DePhelps, Community Food Systems: dephelps@pcei.org
>Peggy Adams, Watersheds/Food Systems: peggy931@uidaho.edu
>Jon Barrett, Idaho Smart Growth:  smartgro@micron.net
>Elaine Clegg, Idaho Smart Growth:  eclegg@micron.net
>
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